Rotary explosive-engine.



W. MOL. STEVENSON. ROTARY EXPLOSIVE ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED 1111147.19111.

1,001,320. Patentedug. 22, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

T SECURITIES HOLDING COMPANX 0F THE STATE or SOUTH CAROLINA.

ROTARY EXPLOSIVE-ENGINE.

Specification o! J' etters Patent.

Application tiled March l'i, 1910.

Seria] No. 550,042.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MCLELLAND S'rnvnNsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bennettsville, in the county of Marlboro and State of South Cale` olina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary IGxplosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to engines of the rotary explosive type, and has for its object the provision of an engine employing an annular casing Iixedly secured and divided into a series ofcasings by radially movable partitions, alternate chambers having explosive chambers communicating therewith, While the remaining charnbers comprise the compression chambers and are arranged in con'miunication With the explosive chambers to deliver the compressed mixture thereto.

The driven member of the engine consists of a wheel with projections thereon that extend into the 'casing aforesaid to form the engine-pistons, the front surfaces of the projcctions being tangential to the periphery of the wheel, while the rear surfaces are on a plane inclined substantially 45 degrees to the outer surfaces of the projections.

My improved engine Will be described in detail hereinafter and illustrated in the ac.

companying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view, of my 1mproved engine, the casingy and rotary member Ybeing shown partly in section; Fig. 2, a cross-sectionof the engine; Fig. 3, a fragniental detail view of the casing, on an enlarged scale, showing the explosive-chamberpartly broken away; Fig. 4, a fraginental detail view of the rotary and (l, det-ail views of one of the slidable partitions and itshousing; and Fig. 7., a fragmental sectional View of rotary member and annular casing. v

In the drawings similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. g

In the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings 1- indicates the base of my improved motor, on Which is mounted a casing 2, providing the Water-jacket and conannular casing 3, open toward the lnteri'or of the annulus and having its side Walls formed with pairs of parallel plates 4, spaced apart.

5 indicates a wheel forming the rotary element of my improved slidably mounted element; Figs. 5

l engine and to which 1s secured the vertical driveshaft 6, the outer portion of the Wheel having side flanges 7 that lit snugly the spaces between the plates 4 and lugs 8 that extend out- Wardlyfrom the periphery of the Wheel between lianges forming the pistons of the englne.

Lugs 8 have their front surfaces formed tangentially of the periphery of the wheel, While their rear surfaces 10 are inclined at an angle of substantially 45 degrees to the periphery of the Wheel and the outer surfaces of the lugs.

Casing 3 is divided into a plurality of chambers by sl'idable partitions l1, said chambers being even in number, ei ht being shown in the embodiment of my invention chambers, indicated at 12, are larger than the `intervening chambers 13, chambers 12 constituting the driving chambers and having explosive-cha1nbers 14 secured thereto and communicating With chambers 12 by means of alined openings in the parallel Walls 4. The chambers 13 constitute the then" ends nearest the direction from Which the Wheel 5 rotates, and alined openings 17 in their opposite ends that are connected with chambers 14 by means of pipes 18, 19 being back-pressure valves in the said pipes 18 to hold the charges compressed in the chambers.

Partitions 11 heretofore referred to are, as stated, slidable, housings 20 being secured to the outer side of the casing 3 to receive the partitions when moved outwardly by the instrumentalities hereinafter described, and said partitions fit said ,housings air-tight so as to prevent the escape of the explosive mixture from one chamber to the other'.

outer edges and extended through Vholes 22 in the housings 20, the outer ends of the rods being provided With knobs 23 and 23 24 indicates angular rods slidably mount- .ed on the side rods 2l.

alined with the lugs 8,

Patented Aug. 22, 1911.`

compressioil-chambers and have inlets 16' in' of casing 3 .and engaging.

25 designates spaced-apart bearing rollersVv shown in the drawings, and the alternate lso Partitions 1l have rods 21 secured to their to raise andilower the 14 and four compressions are exerted by `three= pistons are subjected to four impacts of the exploded gases from the chambers each piston, the impacts and compressions beinge divided because of the dissimilar num r of impact chambers and lugs, so as to equalize the driving of the rotary element, but it will be apparent that the number of pistons and of impact and compression chambers may be varied, as desired= without altering the spirit of the invention.

The flanges 7 by fitting snugly between the plates 1 close the' ports 15 and 17 exthrough the pipe 18 into explosion-chambers y 14,.

cept: 'when openings '31 and 32 come into almement v yith them at the proper periods to releasete expanded 'ggases from the 'explosion-chambers 14;. or to'release the compressed gas from the' chambers 13 and permit them to enter the explosion-chambers.

In operation the front surfaces 9 of the t pistons 8 enter chambers 13 and compresses the gas therein.,which, when the ports 17 are alined 'with the, openings 32, passes t `the instant the pistons pass from the compression-chambers 13 to the impactchambers 12 the. charges in the chambers are fired .any suitable mechanism (not shown) an the expanding gas, rushing out of 4the chambers 14 through ports 15, which are opened'l bythe alinement therewith of .the-openings 3:1, impacts with the rear faces of the pistonsv and drives them forwardly until they pass from the chamber a'nd the by the next explosion@ spent as escapes through the exhausts 30, t e fo lowingl'piston servingto clear .the chamber of't e. residue while being driven As shown and .statd above, the impact- 'chambers 12 are larger than compressionchambersl 13, wlielifserves to make the driven stroke -longeg thef compression stroke, while the iiiclm faces ofthe pis- 5 tons cause the compression and impact I strokes to-be started gradually, aportion only 'of the surface being exposed Initially andV progressively increased. v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is---` 1. In-a rotary explosive motor, an annular casing having its side walls consisting of spaced-apart parallel plates, sliding partit-ions suitably mounted and dividing the casing into a series of chambers, alternate chambers .being impact-chambers and the intervening. chamberscompression-chambers, explosion-chambers communicating with said impact and compression' chambers through openings in the walls of the casing, a wheel having peripheral flanges extending between the parallel walls of th casing, said flanges having openings therein at intervals to open communication between the explosion-chamber and the chambers in the casing, and pistons extendin from said wheel, substantially as 'shown an described.

2. In a rotary explosivemotor, an annular casing having its side walls consistthe casing into a series of chambers, alternate chambers being impact-chambcrs-and the intervening chambers compressionchambers, explosion-chambers commupicating with said impact and compression 4chambers through openings in the walls ofv the casing, a wheel having peri heralflanges extending between the para lel walls of the casing, said flanges having openings therein at intervals to open communic'ation between the explosion-chamber 'and the chambers in clined,- substantially as .shown and'descr'ibe'd.

3. In arotary explosive-motor, an annular casing having its side walls consistingof spaced-apart parallel plates, sliding the casing into a series of chambers, housing for the partitions extending radially of the casing, rods secured to the artitions, rods slidably mounted inthe casing and engagi ing the rods on the partitions, a drive-shaft, a wheel secured to said shaft, an undulating fiange on said wheel and engaging said rods to actuate them, another wheel secured i to said shaft, and pistons on said wheeland Lshown and described.

In. Witness whereof, I havel hereunto set 1lmy hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses WILLIAM MGLELLIND srEvENsoN.

Witnessesz W. D. SMITH,

J. W. CnosLAND.

ing of spaced-apartparallel plates, sliding partitions suitably mounted and dividingl the casing, and pistons extending from said wheel 'having their front and rear faces in- 2partitionsl suitably mounted and' dividing- :operating in the casing, substantially las 

